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Previous "Focus On" columns -
YAWGMOTH'S AGENDA · RHYSTIC STUDY · STORY CIRCLE

Focus On - State-Based Effects

Do you lose the game when you cannot draw a card?
What if your life total drops to zero - can you gain life and save yourself?
You have one Rath's Edge in play. Can you play the second one and tap it for mana before it is destroyed?

If you know the answers to these questions, then jump ahead to the Test Yourself section. Otherwise, read the following explanations of State-Based Effects before attempting the questions.

Key points to remember about State-based effects

State-based effects check at two times -- when getting priority and as the last action of the Cleanup Step.
State-based effects do not check during the resolution of a spell or ability.
State-based effects do not use the stack. They just happen and cannot be responded to or countered. (Note: If a card is saying "when" or "if", you're dealing with a triggered ability and those all use the stack.)
State-based effects are not controlled by any player.

We have located 10 State-based effects.

4 that kill players - (zero life, cannot draw, poison counters, sudden death)
4 that kill permanents- (zero toughness, lethal damage, vaporizing tokens, legend rule)
2 that kill enchantments - (target gone, only one enchant world)

Player Killers:

1) A player at zero or less life loses the game
2) A player drawing from an empty library loses the game. (This used to be a replacement effect but is no longer.)
3) A player with 10 or more poison counters loses. (This only applies when playing with older cards)
4) Sudden Death - We are using this term to refer to conditions that lead the winner of the game to be determined based on life totals. For example, for players in a single elimination tournament (often a draft or top eight) there must be a winner. If time has been called on the round, and the five-turn rule has elapsed, then if no player has a lead on game wins (0-1, 1-0, 2-1, etc.) and life totals are the same…
At this point the game continues until the first change in life totals occurs (up or down), and then the player with the higher life total wins.
A similar type death occurs as a result of Celestial Convergence (when its last token is removed, player life totals are checked and the player with the highest life total wins).

Permanent Killers:

5) Zero toughness creatures are put into the graveyard.
6) Lethally damaged creatures are put into the graveyard. Regeneration may prevent this effect.
(Note: Creatures that regenerate never leave play. Any enchantments on them will stay on them)
7) Tokens in any zone other than "in play" cease to exist.
8) If two legends / legendary permanents are in play with the same name, THEY BOTH (Note: Change) put into the graveyard. If the same event puts multiple copies of a given legend into play, they are all put into their graveyards.

Enchantment Killers:

9) A local enchantment on an illegal permanent or non-existent permanent are put into the graveyard. 10) Whenever two or more Enchant Worlds are in play, all but the most recent one are put into the graveyard. Playing a new Enchant World destroys the old one. This is the opposite of the legend rule.

Test Yourself - Remember, if you find that you are missing a lot of these questions, you should go back and read the explanations of State-based effects. (Answers are at the end)

1. Tom has a Thrashing Wumpus (3/3 black creature, B: do one point of damage to all creatures and all players). Tom is at three life and Ed is at four life. Tom wants to tap his four swamps and activate the Wumpus's ability for four points of damage. What will happen?

a) Both players will die and the game will be a draw.
b) Tom will die first and Ed will win.
c) It all depends on how Tom says he is playing the Wumpus' ability. He can draw the game if he puts all four points of damage on the stack without letting them resolve.
d) Tom is not allowed to do four points of damage as the third point will kill the Wumpus.

2. Tom is at three life and Ed is at four life. Tom is holding an Earthquake. Tom wants to tap his five mountains and do four points of Earthquake damage. What will happen?

a) Both players will die and the game will be a draw.
b) Tom will die first because he has a lower life total and Ed will win.
c) It all depends on who is the active player. Since Tom is the active player, he will put his damage on the stack first, and then Ed will put his damage on the stack. When the stack resolves, Ed will lose before the damage to Tom ever resolves.
d) Tom has made an illegal play. He is not allowed to play a spell that would reduce his life total to less than zero.

3. Tom has activated his Treetop village and played a Rancor on it. At the End of turn phase, during the Cleanup Step, what happens to the Rancor when the Treetop Village deanimates?

a) The Rancor falls off and is placed in the graveyard.
b) The Rancor falls off, is placed in the graveyard, and the "return the Rancor to its owner's hand" is triggered and placed on the stack.
c) The Rancor does not fall off until the next time a player would receive priority (which is during the upkeep step of the next turn).
d) Tom can decide whether or not he wants to keep the Rancor on the deanimated Treetop village.

4. Tom controls a Sacred Ground (Enchantment / Whenever a spell or ability controlled by an opponent puts a land into your graveyard from play, return that land to play.) and an animated Treetop Village (3/3 trample land). He activates the Treetop village. Ed targets the Village with a Spinning Darkness (3 damage to target non-black creature. Gain 3 life.). The Village takes three damage and goes to the graveyard. What happens next?

a) The Treetop Village stays in the graveyard
b) The Treetop Village is put back into play

5. Fred uses a Parallax Wave (Remove a fade counter from Parallax Wave: Remove target creature from the game if Parallax Wave is in play. | When Parallax Wave leaves play, each player returns to play all cards other than Parallax Wave he or she owns removed from the game with Parallax Wave.) to remove Dan's Saproling burst token creature from the game. When the Wave leaves play next turn what happens?

a) The Saproling burst token will return to play at its original power and toughness.
b) The Saproling burst token will return to play, but its power/toughness will depend on how many counters remain on the Saproling Burst enchantment.
c) The Saproling burst token will not return to play.
d) Fred made an illegal play, he is not allowed to remove a token creature with Parallax Wave.

6. It is Tom's turn. Tom plays a Stroke of Genius (Target player draws X cards.) for eight cards targeting Ed. Ed only has eight cards in his library. What happens?

a) Ed loses the game as soon as he draws all eight cards.
b) Ed loses the game the next time he is forced to draw a card.
c) Ed will lose the game unless he can reduce Tom's life total to zero or less before the end of the curent phase.
d) Ed will lose the game unless he can reduce Tom's life total to zero or less before the current stack is empty.

7. Joel has a Cloud Sprite enchanted with Firebreathing. Harry Snuffs the Cloud Sprite (Snuff Out : destroy target non-black creature). What order do the cards go to the graveyard?

a) Cloud Sprite, Snuff Out, Firebreathing
b) Snuff Out, Cloud Sprite, Firebreathing
c) Cloud Sprite, Firebreathing, Snuff Out
d) Firebreathing, Cloud Sprite, Snuff Out

8. Roger and Brian are playing in a Type 1 tournament. Roger plays a Timetwister (Each player shuffles his or her hand and graveyard into his or her library and draws a new hand of seven cards.), and Brian has a Maro with 2 cards in hand (2/2 Maro). What happens to Maro when the Timetwister resolves?

a) When Brian has to shuffle his cards back into his library, he will be holding zero cards in his hand, so Maro will die.
b) Since State-based effects are not checked during the resolution of an effect, Maro will not die.
c) Maro dying due to 0/0 power/toughness will trigger during the resolution of Timetwister and go on the stack as soon as a player would receive priority. However, when it resolves, Maro will be 7/7, so Maro will live.
d) Maro dying due to 0/0 power/toughness will trigger during the resolution of Timetwister and go on the stack as soon as a player would receive priority . Maro's current toughness will not be checked, so Maro will be destroyed.

9. Harold has a Conspiracy (creature type altering enchantment) in play making all his creatures Rebels. He controls two Lin Sivvi's (Legend). Sally controls one Lin Sivvi (this one is not affected by the Conspiracy). Sally destroys Harold's Conspiracy.

a) All three Lin Sivvi's die.
b) Sally's Lin Sivvi stays in play. Harolds two Lin Sivvi's die.
c) Harold can select one of his Lin Sivvi's to survive. The other one of his and Sally's both die.
d) All three Lin Sivvi's can legally remain in play.

10 Jon plays a Gaea's Cradle, but Dora already has one in play. What happens?

a) Jon's Cradle will be placed in the graveyard before he can even tap it for mana.
b) Jon's Cradle will be placed in the graveyard, but he will get to tap it for mana once before destruction.
c) Dora's Cradle will be placed in the graveyard.
d) Both Cradles will be placed in the graveyard.